I always had a personal inclination towards selfcare & skin care. That is when I realised Cosmetics had become a twin word for chemicals. With over 85000 chemicals in the Industry, we are still unaware of how many toxic ingredients get into our Skin! Owing to break the Myth of Only Chemicals drive Quick Remedies, I decided to provide natural yet effective solutions to all the skincare issues. This is how YEKA was formed!”, says, Nandhini Priya who is the CEO of Yeka Cosmetics when asked about the inception story of company. Her industry experience and passion to create a unique business entity have also helped her to strive for sustained success with Yeka Cosmetics.

In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur, Nandhini talks more about her professional journey and the unique business operations of Yeka Cosmetics.

Can You Talk More About Your Educational And Professional Background?

I am a Law Graduate from Madurai Law College. And with over 10 years’ experience in civil services exam preparation, I also started a free IAS study centre in Anna nagar, Chennai. With the motto, to empower micro, small and medium Women entrepreneurs, we founded the "PeNPassionates”, which is a Women Entrepreneur Association. The Group consists of talented passionate women doing small scale businesses. We would do periodical training and mentoring sessions to develop them. The Civil Services Preparation gave me the confidence, ability to think beyond the limits & a lateral thinking for every challenge we faced in our journey. It is with this expertise, confidence and a great team of Siddha Experts & Cosmetic Consultants, I Founded YEKA Cosmetics.

Brief Us About The Products That You Provide At Yeka Cosmetics.

Natural cosmetics are comparatively less and when it comes to affordability it is almost nil. The price of the natural organic products is mostly out of reach for middle class customers. So, we decided to create a brand which resonates both 100% Natural & affordability to middle income consumers as well. We have got a wide range of skin care and hair care products including different sorts of hair oils and skin oils as well.

What Makes Your Company Different From The Rest Of The Competition?

We have various herbs that had been used by our ancestors as a great relief to major skin problems .90% of such herbs are not yet explored due to lack of research. We envision to identify and promote such local herbs. The cost of the products will also be reduced as we don’t need to import any ingredients when we have such wonder herbs in our own land. Yeka plans to find such herbs and local natural products and bring it in skin care products. Unlike conventional business models, ours is a completely new gen model and 90% of our work is through mobile. We run more than 15 office groups in Whatsapp and manage our major business operations are done through it. From taking up orders, office instructions, assignments, Design and contents etc are all managed through Whatsapp. We also conduct our marketing and brand building through various social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp as well.

“Recently we have witnessed lots of natural skin care brands on the rise and our quality and affordability help us to stand out from the rest.”

Can You Talk More About The Uniqueness Of Your Ingredients That You Use In Your Products?

Since my young age, I have been a regular buyer of various cosmetic products. I have even been bullied by my friends and relatives for dumping my shelf with all possible cosmetic products. Despite all these expenses, I couldn’t find a proper solution to my pimples/acne. But to my surprise, it was cured on regular application of a simple, natural home remedy. I was just wondering why such products haven’t been in the market. When I started exploring, I realized every ingredient of the commercial cosmetic has been mostly chemicals or if in the case of natural products, the ingredients were mostly imported or pricey ones. But the home remedy or simple granny secrets like applying a particular type of basil juice for pimples had been formulated. This raised many questions in me and we decided to promote Natural Cosmetics using our own unexplored Traditional Indian Herbs & provide the Best Natural Solution to all the Beauty Needs at affordable prices. Recently we have witnessed lots of natural skin care brands on the rise and our quality and affordability help us to stand out from the rest.

For instance, Kuppaimeni leaf is a type of locally available herb, which when applied as a face pack, makes your skin glow as gold. Its results just surprise you when compared to other expensive gold facials. And most of the soaps in the Industry uses chemical ingredients or ingredients which aren’t native to our land & has to be imported. We realized the immense benefits of our Own Native Herbs like Avarampoo, Liquorice, Moringa, Lotus, Hibiscus, Virgin Coconut Oil and so on. Henceforth, we curate every product using these magical herbs and our own natural handmade soaps are currently in R&D. One of the many unique ingredients that we use is AVARAMPOO which are beautiful yellow flowers that are known since our Vedic age for its Great Skincare Benefits. It is an excellent ingredient which increases Skin Glow and cures all Skin related ailments likes whitehead, blackheads, scars & Spots. So, this has been a major ingredient in our soap research process.

How Would You Describe Your Entrepreneurial Journey So Far And Do You Have Any Advices/Suggestions On Your Mind For The Budding Entrepreneurs In The Same Segment?

It is always interesting when you do the job you love. That is what we call as passion. Being an entrepreneur means being aware of every work from lower hierarchy up till the topmost decision-making roles. Though we have an in-house team for designing and content writing, I enjoy it when I personally get into these and contribute my own designs and content writing. So, I would say, my entrepreneurial journey has taught me a lot and has helped me to be a better business leader.

As far as my advice is concerned, “Do Business On Paper First!” Before starting any business, we need to plan every minute part as well. Talk to entrepreneurs from various categories, discuss with them about their challenges and their journey. Think from every aspect. Fore think about the problems that may arise and come up with a solution for every problem. And being an entrepreneur is all about, being a jack of all trades. If you are good at Product making, your line of business doesn’t just stop with manufacturing. You must also be aware of finances, accounting, people management, logistics, administration etc. And it may sound as a cliché`, but don’t get demotivated with failures. Every failure teaches you a lesson. You must try till the end, before you give up on an idea.

Nandhini Priyaceo, Yeka Cosmetics

She is an exemplary and enthusiastic business leader that has been able to make a name for her in the industry through constant innovation and consistent improvement.